LÜDERITZ – On Wednesday about 1 200 tourists aboard the 780-foot Rotterdam luxury liner on a cruise around the world visited Lüderitz from Cape Town.
The Rotterdam is registered in the Netherlands and has a passenger capacity of 1 400 people, a crew of 600 and a gross tonnage of 61 849 metric tons.
During the whirlwind visit to Lüderitz that lasted from the morning until in the afternoon the 1 400 tourists were in Namibia to experience the lifestyle of the local people as well as to acquaint themselves with the historical background of the town.
This cruise ship left Holland on September 27 and will be back in Holland on December 21. Tourists from Holland, Germany, Canada, Britain and Norway but mainly from the United States of America are some of those on the world trip aboard the Rotterdam.
Marion Schelkle of Lüderitz Safaris and Tours indicated that the tourists were taken by locally trained tour guides to different places in Lüderitz, “for the benefit of all Lüderitz residents”.
The tourists visited Kolmanskop better known as the Ghost Town, Lüderitz town, the oyster farm where they were treated to an oyster tasting session and were driven to Aus where 30 of them hiked through the mountains near Klein Aus Vista, and also visited the sand dunes.
The Rotterdam docked far from land as the water around the harbour is too shallow for such a big ship, and the tourists were conveyed in small boats from the cruise ship to the town’s jetty.
Another ship is expected to visit Lüderitz in mid-December while Rotterdam is expected to come back to Lüderitz in January 2015.
Rotterdam’s onboard offering include elegant dining rooms, a US$2 million art and antique collection and state-of-the-art amenities.
By Tuulikki Abraham